A Reflection of Hate and Love
by Dustofdusk
Summary: A brief reflection of different characters' viewpoints of Jim. Trans!Jim


**A reflection of different characters' viewpoints of Jim.**

When Toby first meets Jim, in elementary, he's standing in front of the bathrooms looking extremely conflicted about where to go.

"Hey Man," Toby says, "You're a boy aren't you?" Jim nods, albeit a little hesitantly. "Well, then come on into the boys' bathroom, dude!" Jim looks like he's gonna cry.

And he does- he breaks down crying while laughing and explains to Toby why he was standing in front of the bathrooms.

"It-it's like, like, I'm a boy, but there was a mix-up in heaven and now I'm stuck in some girl's body."

"Well," Toby says, "You're still a boy, so come on down!" Jim offers him a shaky smile as they walk through the doors of the bathroom. And it doesn't seem like much to him, but Toby knows he just did something that means everything in the world to Jim.

So they're friends.

And the years pass on mainly uneventfully until Jim finds an amulet in a pile of rubble.

Stricklander- Mr. Strickler, God, he hates that name- meets Jim in his 10th-grade class.

He's calling role, and has just gotten to:

"Lake, Jam-"

"That's me!" A voice shrieks from the back of the classroom. He zeroes in on a small figure wearing a blue jacket, although it is August. "I, uh, I prefer to be called Jim."

Well. He looks down at the role again. Jamie Lake, Female, the letters spell. He glances up again and finds that Ja- Jim is looking anxiously at him. Ah, well. It is the 21st century.

He pulls out his pen and scratches out 'Female', instead writing Jim on the paper. "Duly noted." The grin that Jim sends Stricklander- Mr. Strickler, damn it- is nothing short of blinding.

He finds out later in the year that Jim is the new hunter. Stricklander will not enjoy killing the boy, but, ah, it was fun while it lasted.

Draal doesn't know what it is, but the human fleshbag is unusually ferocious and vicious during their match.

"Enhancers are forbidden, fleshbag!" He roars.

"I'm not on steroids, Draal."

"Then how are you so angry and fierce?"

"I-frick- have my period today and I have major cramps!"

They stand, facing each other for a moment. The human is panting and looks to be in pain, and Draal has ripped its shirt. He's going to win this. The human surveys him with cold, narrowed eyes. And then it attacks.

In the end, it stands above him, face like a storm that had exploded into being. It looks ready to kill him- which is fine! Which is... Draal doesn't fear death! But then something in its face softens and it pulls him up instead.

They walk out together, and the trollhunter slumps against a wall and detransforms.

"Man," Jim says, turning around, "What a day." Draal looks at him in alarm.

"What are these bandages? Are you injured?"

Jim freezes as he regrets ever doing anything in his life. "No, I- it's complicated. I'm trans."

Draal looks even more anxious. "What is that? Is it a disease?"

"No- do you have any trolls that were born one gender and switched to the other?"

Draal nods. "Aye, the shifters."

"Well, I'm like that, except for humans." There's an awkward silence.

"Um. If you...ever need help with any of that, go to Zena's booth. That's where the shifters meet."

"Oh. Thanks."

"It is my pleasure...Trollhunter."

They smile at each other. Draal likes the human- Jim- a lot more. He will see what happens with this friendship.

Claire has always been suspicious of Jim. He hovers outside the bathrooms like he's unsure that he wants to go in. She thinks that once she even saw him in the girls' bathroom. And, before she spied on him, he was whispering to Toby about a secret project.

So when Claire finds out what Jim does, it's a shock. And, if she's being honest, she's a little worried. And now the door to his bedroom is locked? What if something has found its way in?

Draal knocks down the door after stalling for a few minutes because he fears for his life- the Nuñez girl is quite fearsome. The door swings open to reveal Jim, halfway through putting on a binder.

"Oh," Claire says, as he stares at her in horror. "Oh." He starts to push them out of the room. "OH." The door swings shut behind them. Claire stares at the door as Draal ambles away. "Draal." He stops. "Did you know about this?"

"Yes." Pause. Draal sneaks away.

Claire knocks on the door. There is muffled sobbing inside. She pushes open the door. Jim looks at her, face alight with tears.

"God," he says, burying his face in his hands.

Claire wraps her arms around him. "It's okay."

"Oh god, you must hate me."

"No!" Claire says. "Look, this doesn't change anything. You're Jim Lake. We're still friends." Jim wipes his face, a small smile on his face. "You good?"

"Yeah," he says, "I'm good."


End file.
